51ºÚÁÏÍø

The annual Ethics Awareness Week returns to the University of North Georgia (51ºÚÁÏÍø) in coordination with the University System of Georgia’s (USG) commitment to ethical culture. This year the event will run from Nov. 3-9 and culminate with the 51ºÚÁÏÍø Mid-Atlantic Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 8 at 51ºÚÁÏÍø's  Gainesville Campus. Most events are open to faculty, staff and students, and some are virtual.

“Talking about ethics may not seem fun for everyone, and when you say it's time for Ethics Week, you typically don't have people cheering and excited about it. But that is one thing we have tried to incorporate in a few events that mean something to the campus community because ethics is very important," Jill Holman, 51ºÚÁÏÍø chief audit officer, said.

"Spirit of USG – Celebrating our Ethical Culture" is the theme of this year's Ethics Awareness Week.

The fun kicks off with the Chancellor’s Event, hosted by USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue, with featured speaker, Mr. Jimmy Blanchard, retired chairman and CEO of Synovus and vice chairman of Covey Equity, at Columbus State University (CSU) from 1-2 p.m. Nov. 3. The event will be streamed live through Microsoft Teams to all USG institutions and the University System Office.

Throughout the day, 51ºÚÁÏÍø Human Resources will provide access to a 30-minute ethics training all employees are required to take by the end of November.

"EthiCAL: Everyday Ethics in Academia" is a College of Arts & Letters (CAL) multi-department panel discussion about the role of ethics within their respective fields. This online event requires and will take place Nov. 4. Dr. Bryan Dawson, associate department head and professor of psychological science is the panel host.

"Come watch our dynamic faculty panel as they explore where ethics really lives in teaching, research and professional life —including the tough gray areas, overlooked blind spots and the ways we do (or don’t) model ethical thinking for our students," Dawson said.

As a special treat for faculty and staff, there will be an  at noon Nov. 5 with the highly coveted top prize of a parking spot closest to the building of their choice for an entire year. Other prizes include baskets of goodies from each campus.

"They really aren't hard questions," Holman said. "Some of them are ethical dilemmas."

The week continues with "The Compliance Catalyst: Leadership that Shapes Culture," a best practices panel, moderated by Dr. Rose Procter, director for the TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership within the Mike Cottrell College of Business (MCCB). Panelists include Dr. Robert Scott, president of Albany State University, and Dr. Rachel Clapp-Smith, dean of the MCCB. Wesley Horne, assistant vice chancellor for ethics and compliance and chief ethics officer for USG, will give remarks as well. The event begins as 10 a.m. on Nov. 7 and is required to attend.

Holman said that ethics means doing the right thing, even when nobody's looking, and that's why she likes to promote ethics. She is reminded of something she learned at a previous job.

“My boss told me that if you're in the Wal-Mart parking lot and you loaded your groceries into your car, you take your empty cart to the cart return. You don't just leave the cart in the parking spot next to you," Holman said. "That's what being ethical is: doing the right thing."